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Titus Andronicus (Action To The Word) @ C+1, Edinburgh

Writing about web page http://www.actiontotheword.com/shows.php After having seen some 250-odd performances of plays and adaptations of plays by Shakespeare and his contemporaries, I hit something of a landmark last night – my first English-language production of Titus Andronicus, the last play in the established canon which I’d only seen in translation. Coincidentally, this was also …

Being Shakespeare @ Trafalgar Studios

Writing about web page http://www.beingshakespeare.com/ My PhD supervisor, Jonathan Bate, has a play on at Trafalgar Studios at the moment, Being Shakespeare.The show is essentially a reduced version of his last book on Shakespeare, Soul of the Age, with Simon Callow delivering a talk about Shakespeare’s life and career divided into Jacques’ seven ages of …

With Will (Warwick Student Arts Festival) @ Warwick Arts Centre Studio

I’ve only managed to catch one show at this year’s Warwick Student Arts Festival – With Will, a half-hour duologue. I don’t know the names of writer, director or actors, but I can only assume it comes from the same mind that created the very similar To Will, which I caught earlier this year. The …

The Two Noble Kinsmen in Cambridge

Writing about web page http://www.junction.co.uk/artist/3329 I just found out about this (thanks: Mervyn Capel) – a very rare production of The Two Noble Kinsmen happening in Cambridge next week. It’s a student drama group, but even so, I’d be hugely excited to get down to this. Assuming I can’t find the time, though, please do …

The Merchant of Venice (RSC) @ The Royal Shakespeare Theatre

Writing about web page http://www.rsc.org.uk/whats-on/merchant/ Rupert Goold’s new production of The Merchant of Venice for the RSC has already caused something of a stir in the press, dividing critics and audiences alike. Despite the presence of a star name in Patrick Stewart in the cast, this was not the traditional Merchant that many may have …

Cardenio (RSC) @ The Swan – Revisited

Follow-up to Cardenio (RSC) @ The Swan Theatre, Stratford–upon–Avon from The Bardathon I’m just back from my second viewing of the RSC’s Cardenio, and it’s still great. This time, familiar with the new material and the reshaping of Double Falsehood, I had more leisure to enjoy the sparky relationship established between Oliver Rix’s Cardenio and …

Henry VI Part One @ The Rose Theatre, Bankside

The Rose on Bankside has been continuing its ongoing series of productions based on the original repertory of Henslowe’s theatre. This month sees a particularly special event: an in-house production (as opposed to the usual hosting of young companies) of 1 Henry VI, unusually presented in isolation from the rest of the trilogy. Further, the …

All’s Well That Ends Well @ Shakespeare’s Globe

Writing about web page http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/theatre/on-stage/alls-well-that-ends-well It was a good weekend for obscure Shakespeare in London. In between a version of the first quarto Hamlet and a rare revival of 1 Henry VI, I found time to get to the Globe, bravely leading off its main summer season with its first ever production of the little-loved …

Hamlet (Vital Signs) @ The White Bear Theatre Pub

I was surprised to see such a sparse audience for this, Vital Signs Theatre’s new production of Hamlet at the White Bear. While Hamlets are two-a-penny at the moment, it’s rare to get a chance to see a straight version of the first quarto (Q1). While the programme’s claims that it’s the first time the …

Macbeth (RSC) @ The Royal Shakespeare Theatre

The first new production in the re-opened and redesigned RST is also the opening salvo of the RSC’s fiftieth birthday celebration season. Artistic Director Michael Boyd christens the new space with a production very much in keeping with his principles – no celebrity names but a lead actor, Jonathan Slinger, who made his name coming …